Overview
Ten years after Abigail Williams, instigator of the witch trials, disappeared from Salem, she turns up at the tavern of her fellow ex witch-hunter, Mercy Lewis. About to leave the colonies forever, it’s her last chance to understand the madness that overtook them. But with war threatening northern New England yet again, Mercy and her fellow townspeople are in no mood for Abigail’s doubts, which suggest to them complicity with the devil. And just when everything is at its most dangerously tense—the devil himself shows up.
Casting & Production
Casting
MERCY LEWIS — A widowed tavern-keeper, late 20s,Anglo-American.
ABIGAIL WILLIAMS — A woman, early–to–mid 20s, Anglo-American.
REBEKKAH — A girl working for Mercy, early-to-mid teens,Anglo-American.
REVEREND PECK — A man, middle-aged or older, Anglo-American.
JUDAH — A farmer, 20s to 40s, Anglo-American.
JOHN FOX — A man, 20s to 30s, half Abenaki and half anything else.
Casting Note:
The actors may be cast older across the board, but Rebekkah should read as a young girl.
Setting
Time
1702, ten years after the Salem witch trials. One night from sunset to sunrise in late spring.
Place
A small tavern on the northern New England coast.
Reviews
“Adams has a way of transforming ominous situations into thought provoking entertaining experiences, and she handles the premise of the Salem witch trials with care that ends up being thoughtful, mysterious, and if I dare say, startlingly funny.”
—DC Theatre Scene
“A witty, somber and thought provoking play.”
—San Diego Theater Examiner
Media
